Lexus RC-F

Project Description

As part of the “Always On” campaign, we created a four-page spread for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition that culminated in an interactive augmented reality experience. As a car enthusiast, I fought hard to be involved, this was a dream opportunity to showcase the brand new Lexus RC-F in a bold new format.

Among several ambitious ideas, we proposed using data from the vehicle to generate custom artwork, with plans to feed that data back into future Lexus design initiatives. But the centerpiece was a prototype I developed using the Aurasma AR platform. When readers scanned the ad with their phones, they were transported into a 360-degree interactive view of the RC-F. They could hear the engine startup sequence synced with the tachometer, explore different trims, wheels, and color options, and engage with the vehicle like never before, all from the magazine page.

With the support of Craig Crawford (Group Creative Director), Chad Bauer (Executive Producer), and Rob Edwards (Technologist), the prototype helped secure client buy-in for AR as a long-term channel. While budget constraints limited the original vision for the print execution, the campaign successfully introduced Lexus to augmented reality, laying the foundation for their award-winning mobile app that followed.